UTurns and Sunsets
by doornumberthree
Summary: Randy had a talk with Pony and is trying to figure out what he would have done in Pony's position. It's kind of like Randy is battling between what is right and what is easy. Missing Moment series.Please R&R. Rated for very, very mild situational violence


**U-TURNS AND SUNSETS **

**Missing Moment Series**

Randy felt the spinning of the tires on the asphalt, and it comforted him in a way nothing ever had before. The horses thundering underneath the hood of his Mustang were a welcome relief from the turmoil of his own thoughts.

Too bad it didn't last for long.

As Randy shifted over to the right lane and took the exit that would lead him out of Tulsa forever, he knew that the noise of the engine wouldn't be enough to distract him from himself.

He had been talking to the Greaser kid, Ponyboy, earlier. He had gone there just to say sorry for the mess, but somehow they had ended up talking about much more than that. Randy had thought he knew the score, but damn, that kid did too.

Something Ponyboy had said really struck a chord in him. Maybe he was just overly emotional and vulnerable because of Bob's death, but it had got him thinking. Ponybody had told him that he knew Randy would have helped those kids. But Randy wasn't so sure.

He wasn't a hero. He had never done anything ot be remembered for. Nothing that he wanted to be remembered for, anyway. Who cares if he was on the Varsity football team? Who cares if he threw good parties? Who cares if he had an excellent poker face? Not him, that's for sure. At least, he didn't care anymore. He wanted to be remembered for sticking up for a buddy, for going into a burning building to save a bunch of kids, for digging sunsets and liking poetry.

Yeah, Cherry had told him about the sunsets. They had never been close before, bu they shared a sort of kinship now. They both lost Bob, and they both wanted to end the hate between the Greasers and the Socs.

But Cherry was the only one actually doing something. She was helping the Gresasers and had offered to testify at the trial. Whether she was doing this for herself, for Dallas, or even for Bob, Randy wasn't sure.

There was a U-turn on the highway coming up, a U-turn that would take him back to Tulsa. A U-turn that would take him back to the pain and uncertainty. A U-turn that would give him a chance to be a hero, to be remembered for the right things. A U-turn that would do all this, but only if he decided to take it.

He slowed down quickly, stopping almost completely on the highway. Cars around him honked and swerved, and he got quite a few yells of outrage for his stupid move. But Randy couldn't bring himself to care at the current moment. As he contemplated taking the U-turn, the look on Bob's face as he realized what had happened filled his mind. Then Ponyboy's voice filled his ears, the voice saying that he knew Randy would have gone in to save those kids.

Randy had been unsure up until this point as to whether he would have gone in or not. But now he knew. He wouldn't have. Just like how he knew he couldn't go back to Tulsa and face the fighting- and himself- again.

And with that realization, Randy gunned the Mustang's engine and sped off, realizing in a moment of irony that he was driving towards a beautiful sunset painting the sky with reds and yellows and oranges.

And he smiled. That sunset was for Bob.

**THE END **

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**Inspiration: " 'Greaser didn't have anything to do with it. My buddy over there wouldn't have done it. Maybe you would have done the same thing. Maybe a friend of yours wouldn't have. It's the individual.'"**

**" I got out of the car. 'You would have saved those kids if you had been there,' I said. 'You'd have saved them the same as we did,' **

**'Thanks, grease,' he said, trying to grin. **

**PS. Sorry the quotes format is kinda screwy- I have issues with justifying and aligning. :)**

**N****otes: This is another 'missing moment' story, which I find is turning into a bit of a series. This is what I think happened or could have happened after a moment in the book. **

**Randy is another character that we don't know much about. I think it's interesting that he is one of the Socs that know that it's rough all over. He's shown to be a troubled person, trying to deal with his friend Bob's death, and the Soc/Greaser fighting, and everything all at once. I had a feeling that eventually he wouldn't be able to take it anymore, and that maybe his talk with Ponyboy would spur him to do something. I didn't really have a plan for this, it just kind of came out, and I really like it. It shows (hopefully) that while he is a troubled person, he is a good person, and he's kind of battling between what is right (staying and trying to help end the fighting) and what is easy (leaving Tulsa). **

**I know I'm rambling and that my author's notes go on forever, but I really like to share my perspective and gain other people's perspectives also. I'd love to know what you think! Please review!**


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